Konpira Gongensha Shrine 金毘羅権現社

Konpira Gongen has also been venerated by loggers in Aridagawa’s lumber industry. Prior to the 1940s, log drives were the standard way to transport timber downstream. Each log drive was a dangerous undertaking in which loggers could drown or be crushed to death in a log jam. Loggers used to visit Konpira Gongensha before a log drive to pray for safety.

Enlisted sailors from Aridagawa would also pray at the shrine before their deployment. On the eve of a sailor’s departure, it was customary for their loved ones to walk up and down the approach to the shrine 100 times, offering 100 prayers to Konpira Gongen for the sailor’s safe return.

The main festival day at Konpira Gongensha is the tenth day of the tenth month on the traditional lunisolar calendar, which now generally falls in November. On the weekend closest to that date, a mochi-throwing event is held in which small rice cakes are tossed to a jostling crowd for good luck.